Cleveland Baptist Churchhttp://clevelandbaptist.org
Preaching Christ - Reaching the WorldWed, 30 Nov 2016 20:01:36 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Police Devotion 11-23-2016http://clevelandbaptist.org/2016/11/police-devotion-11-23-2016/
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 18:10:02 +0000http://clevelandbaptist.org/?p=4971“And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:11)

Jesus said the story of Jonah and the whale is a true story: “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). We can also learn great spiritual lessons from this story.

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn the people of His coming judgment, but Jonah didn’t want to go. The Assyrians (Nineveh was a city in Assyria) were cruel and sadistic, similar to ISIS operatives. So Jonah boarded a ship to flee from God, but God sent a storm. Jonah knew the storm was because of him so he told the sailors, who worshipped false gods, to throw him overboard. They did so reluctantly, asking God to forgive them. Right away the sea was calm. The sailors became worshippers of the true God. Lesson 1: don’t run from God. Lesson 2: God wants to save people. He may even use crazy circumstances to do it.

Then came the whale. “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17). God spared Jonah, then told him again to go to Nineveh. Jonah went but not because he started to care about the Ninevites. More likely it was because he didn’t want another trip into the whale’s belly. So he did right—for the wrong reason—but he did right. Lesson 3: It’s better to do right for a wrong reason than to do wrong. For instance, don’t skip church if you’re able to go. That’s wrong. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,” Even if you go just so you can say you went, which isn’t a good reason, you may hear something important during the service and God could speak to your heart about an issue in your life which will make you glad you went.

So Jonah went to Nineveh and preached, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). God touched the hearts of the king and all the people. They sought mercy from God for the evil and violence that they’d done. God was merciful to them, and held back His hand of destruction from them.

Jonah was angry that God spared Nineveh. In fact, he told God, “I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil” (Jonah 4:2). Jonah even asked God to kill him. God didn’t. Instead, God asked him, “Doest thou well to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4). Later Jonah said, “I do well to be angry, even unto death” (Jonah 4:9). Jonah was in a really lousy mood. Have you ever felt like that? God could have chewed out Jonah for not caring about people. Instead, God dealt with Jonah’s heart in just the right way. Lesson 4: You may be in a really lousy mood at times, and you don’t want to speak to anyone. At those times, open your Bible and trust God to speak to your heart through “the voice of his word” (Psalm 103:20). Tell Him exactly how you feel, as Jonah did.

God gently pointed out that even the Ninevites had souls. The phrase “cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand” may not have referred to their intellect, but that they probably knew little or nothing of the true God. Lesson 5: There is no one whom the Lord doesn’t want to save. As a cop, you meet people whose lives are dysfunctional, swamped in sin, and they know almost nothing of God. Yet they’re still precious people that the Lord Jesus will forgive and save if they’ll come to Him.

If you want to see how to have your sins forgiven and have eternal life by receiving Jesus as your personal Saviour, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the drop down menu.

After King Solomon died, his son, Rehoboam, became king of Israel. Afterward the kingdom was split in two, Israel and Judah. Israel had one rotten king after another. One thing worse than a wicked person is a wicked person in a place of power. Israel’s first king after the division was Jeroboam. He turned Israel to idol worship. Nadab, his evil son reigned after him two years until Baasha assassinated him and took over. When Baasha died, his son, Elah, took over. Zimri, a military captain, conspired against Elah as he was “drinking himself drunk” (1 Kings 16:9), then killed him and became king. When news spread that he’d killed Elah, the Israelites made Omri, another military captain, king. Zimri committed suicide. Omri took over. 1 Kings 16:25 says, “But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.” Omri’s son, Ahab, was even worse than his father: “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him” (1 Kings 16:30).

Ahab married a woman named Jezebel who was as wicked as he: “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up” (1 Kings 21:25). One day Ahab wanted to buy a vineyard from a man named Naboth. However, Naboth wouldn’t sell. He also didn’t seem to have much respect for Ahab. Naboth told Ahab, “The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee” (1 Kings 21:3). Ahab went home and pouted.

When Jezebel heard what happened, she used Ahab’s name to have false charges of blasphemy brought up against Naboth. As a result, Naboth was stoned to death, and Ahab got the vineyard for free. God saw what Ahab and Jezebel had done. God sent the prophet Elijah to tell Ahab, “Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine” (1 Kings 21:19).

Some years later, Ahab wanted to go to war with Syria and regain Israeli territory that Syria possessed. Ahab asked the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, to go with him. Jehoshaphat was a good king and wanted to hear from a prophet of God before going to battle. So Ahab paraded his phony prophets—his religious “yes men”—and they told Ahab what he wanted to hear: that God would give Ahab victory.

Jehoshaphat was suspicious of these men, though. He asked if a prophet of the LORD were there. Ahab said that there was one, Micaiah, but he hated him, “for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil” (1 Kings 22:8). Micaiah was called in and warned Ahab that he would fall in battle. Jehoshaphat probably should have gotten the warning, but he still went with Ahab. Ahab had Jehoshaphat dress in his robes, but Ahab was disguised. So Jehoshaphat was a more visible target. Wasn’t that nice of Ahab!

The Syrian commander, however, wanted Ahab. When the Syrians saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was Ahab and turned against him, but then realized he wasn’t. Then, as 1 Kings 22:34a says, “And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel [Ahab] between the joints of the harness:” It was a random shot to the soldier, but God had His target picked out. Ahab died. The dogs licked up the blood from his chariot. Ahab got his for what he’d done. Jezebel would get hers later.

As a cop, you may see people in power who do wickedly. God sees them, too. Psalm 37:1-3 says, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good.” Just do what’s right and trust God to deal with them in His own way and time.

If you want to see from the Bible how to be sure of heaven when you die, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown menu. If you want a church that preaches God’s Word in love, please visit.

]]>Police Devotion 11-11-2016http://clevelandbaptist.org/2016/11/police-devotion-11-1-2016/
Fri, 11 Nov 2016 17:59:41 +0000http://clevelandbaptist.org/?p=4931“And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath ben to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. And he [Joseph] took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers. And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell;” (Genesis 46:31-34, 47:2-3, 5-6)

Joseph was one of twelve sons. His father Jacob loved him, but his brothers hated him. One day his brothers threw him into a pit and then sold him as a slave. Yet God was with Joseph. He was sold to an Egyptian named Potiphar. He did such a great job that Potiphar entrusted Joseph with all his goods. Things went well until Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. When he fled, she made up a story that he’d tried to molest her. Joseph was thrown into prison, but God was still with him. The keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of the other prisoners. Again, Joseph did a great job.

Two of Pharaoh’s servants were also in the prison. Both of them had dreams that Joseph interpreted. Later, when Pharaoh had a troubling dream, Joseph was sent to interpret it. Joseph told Pharaoh that the dream was about a coming famine. Pharaoh saw that God was with Joseph and appointed him as governor to handle the food supply. Eventually, Joseph’s brothers showed up in need of food. They’d had a change of heart, Joseph revealed to them who he was, and there was a happy, tearful reunion with the whole family.

Joseph certainly was a godly man, but on this occasion, he may have goofed up. Picture him in this passage preparing his brothers to meet Pharaoh. He told them in so many words, “Look, guys, when Pharaoh asks what you do for a living, don’t tell him that you’re shepherds. They don’t like shepherds here. [“…every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”] Say that you’re in the cattle industry.”

So they went before Pharaoh. He asked what they did for a living. What did they tell him? The truth: “Thy servants are shepherds.” Can you imagine Joseph cringing inside and thinking, “I told them not to say that!” Yet Pharaoh didn’t react the way Joseph may have expected. To Joseph’s probable surprise, Pharaoh was still favorable to them. In this instance, Joseph’s brothers were in a way more honorable than he.

In police work, you can be tempted to lie, especially if no one else but you and the suspect knows the truth (and who’d believe him?) Yet God knows the truth. So strive to be honest, even in small matters: “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” (Proverbs 12:22).

Do you want to see in the Bible how to be sure that you’ll go to heaven when you die? If you do, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown menu.

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Tue, 08 Nov 2016 17:36:01 +0000http://clevelandbaptist.org/?p=4888It has been said that more people are anxious and emotionally distraught over this year’s Presidential election than any other time in recent history. The candidates themselves tend to make people nervous. It is hard to know what to expect. By tonight America will have elected its 45th President, and it will either be President Hillary Clinton or President Donald Trump. Either way there probably is a considerable amount of concern in your heart and soul about what the future holds for our country. Whether your candidate wins or loses, here is what you should know—God is still on His throne. The Bible makes it clear that His throne is set in heaven and nothing that happens here impacts or shakes God. His reign is eternal, and He has a plan that will be accomplished!

Philippians 4:4-7 is a great reminder that our focus needs to be on Heaven and God rather than on who wins or loses the Presidency. When are we to rejoice in the Lord? Should we rejoice in the Lord when our candidate wins? What about rejoicing in the Lord when you are feeling good about the future? Maybe you should rejoice in the Lord when everything is going your way. No! The passage is clear: Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS! (v. 4)

I must remind you of where Paul was when he wrote these instructions to the church at Philippi. He wasn’t taking a tropical vacation. He wasn’t living the high life and having the best that life had to offer. No, just the opposite. Paul was sitting in a Roman prison when he told the church to “Rejoice in the Lord alway and again I say rejoice.” Rejoice in the Lord no matter what happens with this election. “Rejoice in the Lord always” even if your world is shaky, and it seems to be falling apart.

The prophet Habakkuk was anxious because of what was going on his world. He was troubled because of God’s revelation about His coming judgment of Israel. As a result, he went into his prayer closet, and God met with him. This is what he stated: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

What does Philippians 4:5 mean? The word “moderation” means a sweet reasonableness. People should see that we, as the people of God, are reasonable; that we aren’t always insisting on having our way. Sometimes we need to give up ground in order to maintain unity and blessing in the place where God has put us. That doesn’t mean we are to overlook sin or do something our conviction wouldn’t allow, but it does mean that when the world looks at us, they ought to see people that are at peace and under control. Remember the Lord is at Hand. He is watching and knows. Beyond that, the world is watching us too, and they know.

According to verses 6-7, if you find yourself troubled (“careful” or full of care) because of what is going on in your life or in the world, you are to give that over to prayer and supplication. When we truly give it over, the God of peace will step into our hearts and give us peace.

Should I care about who is in the White House or who represents me in the halls of Congress? Yes! What should I do if it doesn’t turn out the way I want it to? I am to “rejoice in the Lord.” I am to let my sweet reasonableness be seen. And I am to take my anxiety to the Lord in prayer. That will keep me focused and stable in an unstable world!

]]>Police Devotion 11-8-2016http://clevelandbaptist.org/2016/11/police-devotion-11-8-16/
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 15:03:26 +0000http://clevelandbaptist.org/?p=4884“And he [Jesus] went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Luke 19:45-46)

One great thing about the Bible is that you can read the same Scripture at different times and get different ideas, and they won’t contradict each other. They may address different subjects or the same subject from a different angle, or you may catch something on a second or third reading that you didn’t catch on the first reading. That’s why Psalm 119:96 says, “thy commandment is exceeding broad.”

Our opening passage obviously talks about false religion. Jesus threw out the buyers and sellers from the temple who were turning religion into a racket. Some of Jesus’ harshest words were aimed at the religious phonies who let this go on and didn’t preach God’s Word as they should have. He told them, “Ye are of your father the devil,” and “ye are not of God.” (John 8:44, 47). In Matthew 23, He called them hypocrites and children of hell.

Matthew 21:12-13 is about the cleansing of the temple, too, but it also gives a different take. It says in part, “And Jesus went into the temple of God.” The phrase “the temple of God” is interesting. If you look at the story a little differently, you’ll see a very different kind of cleansing that Jesus does.

You may think you have to “clean up your life” in order for Jesus to save you. Not true. If that were the case, then people would be saved by their works: “I cleaned up my life, so now I’m saved.” No. Salvation is you “throwing yourself on the mercy of the court.” You come to Jesus as a guilty sinner with nothing to bargain with. You receive Him as Saviour by inviting Him into your heart and life, trusting wholly in Him to forgive and save you completely by His grace. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). The hymn “Rock of Ages” by Augustus M. Toplady and Thomas Hastings includes these words:

“In my hand no price I bring, Simply to thy Cross I cling.”

You don’t make deals with the Lord; you simply trust in Him to save you. Once you receive Jesus as Saviour, your body becomes the temple of God: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, italics mine). We also find in Galatians 2:20a that Jesus Himself dwells in you: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:” When you receive Jesus as Saviour, then He works in your life from the inside to “clean house.”

In order to enter someone’s house as a cop, you need consent, a warrant, or an exigent circumstance (emergency). If someone consents to let you in, he knows that if you find anything troublesome, you’re going to deal with it. In the same way, once you receive Jesus as Saviour “by consent” and “let Him in” to your heart and life, you know that if He “finds something” sinful, He’ll deal with it by convicting your heart. That’s why faithful church attendance, Bible reading, and prayer are important. You may accept Christ at an older age, after a lot of sinful behavior. Yet as you hear good preaching, read your Bible and pray, you grow as a Christian and the Lord deals with your heart about things you should start or stop. As you obey His leading and sin is cleansed from “the temple of God,” you become stronger and your relationship with the Lord is more joyful. First, you let Him in, then He cleanses the temple.

If you’ve not seen in the Bible how to have eternal life by receiving the Lord Jesus as Saviour, click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown menu.

]]>Police Devotion 11-2-2016http://clevelandbaptist.org/2016/11/police-devotion-11-2-2016/
Wed, 02 Nov 2016 13:30:36 +0000http://clevelandbaptist.org/?p=4868“I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14)

When King Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, he obviously wasn’t happy. He’d put his faith in the Messiah; he was rich; and he was wise. He said about his riches: “I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:” (Ecclesiastes 2:4-6). Yet in Ecclesiastes 2:11 Solomon said, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” In eternal terms, all of his work was a big waste of time.

Solomon’s problem was that he was living “under the sun.” He used that phrase several times in the book of Ecclesiastes. Basically, to live “under the sun” is to go through the functions of earthly life. No doubt many people today live “under the sun.” They eat, drink, work, play, raise kids, and go on life’s way; all of which isn’t sinful, but it has no eternal value.

Early in his reign, “Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father:” (1 Kings 3:3). However, Solomon’s fatal mistake was that he started to hang out with heathen people: “But King Solomon loved many strange women,…Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in unto them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.” (1 Kings 11:1-4, boldfaces added)

Solomon hung out with heathen people and fell in love with and married heathen women which was in direct disobedience to God’s warning. As a result, his heart was turned away from God—exactly what God said would happen. People would be so much better off if they would just take God at His Word.

If you know Jesus as Saviour, you have eternal forgiveness for all your sins. You know Jesus personally and have a home in heaven when you die. Many people would love to have that kind of assurance and don’t, but you HAVE it. You also have the most important purpose in the world: to share the wonderful good news of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection and salvation with lost people.

How is your heart toward God? Do you care about pleasing Jesus and telling others about Him? Or are you just living “under the sun,” going through life’s rat race? If you’re “under the sun” and honest enough to admit it, look at the people you hang out with. How do they influence you? They DO have an influence on you, whether you realize it or not. Do they encourage you to live for the Lord or do they tend to turn your heart from Him as Solomon’s heathen “friends” did to him? Your friends could be good cops but a terrible spiritual influence. If you need to get away from people who are a bad influence, you know it.

Don’t be content to live “under the sun.” One day you’ll see Jesus face to face. You don’t want to look back on your life and see how little you did for Christ or how many chances to witness were wasted because you were too occupied with your heathen “friends.” You don’t want your life to be nothing more than “vanity and vexation of spirit.”

If you’ve never seen in the Bible how to have a home in heaven, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown menu.

]]>Police Devotion 10-15-2016http://clevelandbaptist.org/2016/10/police-devotion-10-20-2016/
Thu, 20 Oct 2016 15:32:41 +0000http://clevelandbaptist.org/?p=4865“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:” (2 Thessalonians 3:1)

Paul traveled with other Christians, preaching God’s Word. He knew people needed to hear from God’s Word—unsaved people needed to hear how to receive Jesus as Saviour and believers in Christ needed to be strong and stable in their faith. That’s why he traveled and preached, and why he asked Christians in Thessalonica to pray for them, that “the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified.”

The Word of God is the most powerful instrument on earth. Ephesians 6:17 calls it “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” God the Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to touch people’s hearts with its truths. Unsaved people need to hear God’s Word to learn how to receive Christ. Saved people need to hear God’s Word for God’s guidance in their daily lives. That’s why it’s important for the Word of the Lord to have free course and to be glorified. God works through His Word to convince sinners to receive Jesus as Saviour. God also works through His Word to convict believers to live holy lives and share the gospel of Christ with the lost, here and abroad.

America has many problems: economic, moral, and especially spiritual. America needs change toward God. In order for that to happen, people need to change. In order for people to change, they must choose to change from the inside. Electing politicians, appointing judges, and enacting laws won’t change hearts. One thing that will change hearts, though, is an obedient response to God working through His Word.

For all our problems, God’s Word still has free course in America. Alcohol, gambling, pornography, immorality, and other sins are legal, but it’s also still legal to use God’s Word to preach against them. Abortion and same-sex marriage are the law of the land, but we can still say, “Thus saith the LORD,” (Jeremiah 9:23) and speak God’s truth in love. God the Holy Spirit works to turn people’s hearts toward the Lord Jesus and against these behaviors, even if they themselves have committed them.

Most important, God’s Word has the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ who forgives sins, saves souls, and changes lives: “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). God’s Word generates faith in the human heart. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” A person may honestly not believe that the Bible is God’s Word. What will remedy his unbelief? Logical arguments may not, but exposure to the Word of God WILL remedy it, because “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing cometh [not by human arguments, but] by the word of God.”

No doubt many people—even people who belong to a religion—don’t know God’s Word. Maybe they can name a few Bible stories, but they don’t take the Bible seriously. They may be intelligent, educated, fair-minded, decent people, but they don’t know the ways of the true God because they don’t know God’s Word. Maybe they grew up in a church where the Bible wasn’t honored or preached as God’s Word, so they may think that all religions are the same. Their souls are still precious. They need God’s Word.

If you know Jesus as Saviour, the most worthwhile thing you can do in life is share God’s Word with others. Many around you need to hear how Jesus saves souls, and many believers need to be strengthened and challenged to live for Him. So take advantage of our freedom in America to share Christ with others and to share God’s Word, that “the word of the Lord may have free course.”

If you don’t know for sure that you have a home in heaven, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown menu.

]]>Police Devotion 10-7-2016http://clevelandbaptist.org/2016/10/police-devotion-10-7-2016/
Fri, 07 Oct 2016 18:49:18 +0000http://clevelandbaptist.org/?p=4844“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

Matthew 9:36 says, “But when he [Jesus] saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” The Lord came from heaven, where He was worshipped as God by angels, and took on human flesh, where He would be known as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).

The Bible doesn’t say what kind of people Jesus saw, but no doubt He saw rich and poor, old and young, male and female. He knew what they were like deep down in their hearts. John 2:25 says that Jesus “…needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” The Lord knew what every one of them was all about, and He felt compassion toward all of them. Why? Because He knew what their worst problem was: they were lost. When you’re lost, you don’t know where you are, and you don’t know where you’re headed. These people were spiritually lost, headed for eternity without Jesus. That’s why Jesus had compassion on them. He didn’t want them to die lost.

As a cop, it’s very easy to become uncaring about people. Time after time, day after day, you’re called to help people who’ve made bad decisions and created complicated problems for themselves and those they love, and they show no intent to change course. It’s so easy to think, “These people are hopeless!”

However, when you know Jesus as Saviour, you can look at people with compassion, the way He looks at them. The Lord didn’t condone people’s sin, and you don’t have to either, but He had compassion on them because they were lost without Christ. You can learn to think of people that way, too, even on this job. Even as you deal with people’s wrongdoing, think of them as sinners for whom Jesus died.

You may say, “But so many of these people are idiots!” Maybe they are, but picture this: you’re a witness at the Great White Throne Judgment, where unsaved people are sentenced to eternal hell. A man is called to judgment. You recognize him as an “idiot” that you arrested several times. Now he’s crying. He never accepted Christ. You watch in horror as he’s thrown into the lake of fire. That’s what happens to people who die without Christ. Now regardless of what he was like, if you could go back to one of the times you dealt with him on the street, wouldn’t you want a chance to share Christ with him? Surely you would.

You may say, “I can’t bring myself to feel compassion for these people.” No. You can’t make yourself that way, but GOD CAN make you that way. That’s why the verse says, “For it is God [not you] which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” God works INSIDE your heart to change your attitude toward people, in spite of what they are and do. When you faithfully read your Bible, pray, talk honestly with God about the struggles in your life, and serve Him in a Bible-believing church, God will work in your life to help you develop a more Christ-like attitude, even toward difficult people. You may not notice the changes right away, but when you see God working in your life, it’s exciting.

Take time to memorize this verse and ask the Lord to work in your heart to make you see people as He sees them. Even as you deal with people’s wrongdoing, pray for an open door to share the gospel in some way with them.

If you’ve never seen in the Bible how to receive the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown menu.

]]>Police Devotion 9-30-2016http://clevelandbaptist.org/2016/09/police-devotion-9-30-2016/
Fri, 30 Sep 2016 15:48:54 +0000http://clevelandbaptist.org/?p=4744“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

Throughout history people have said bold words to inspire others to action. Before the Revolutionary War, Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Before Nathan Hale was hanged by the British as a spy was reported to say, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Winston Churchill said that if England beat the Germans in World War II and if the British Empire and Commonwealth lasted a thousand years, people would still say of England, “This was their finest hour.” Here may be Joshua’s signature saying: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve;…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua was Israel’s leader after Moses. Joshua was brave—he knew what it meant to risk his life for Israel. After Israel was freed from Egypt, a group of thugs led by Amalek attacked Israel. Joshua led the Israelite soldiers to defeat Amalek and his people. Joshua was also the leader who actually led the Israelites into the Promised Land. Once they arrived, they had to fight one battle after another against heathen people, almost none of whom wanted to make peace with Israel: “There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon:” (Joshua 11:19).

Most importantly, Joshua first cared about pleasing God. During the time in the wilderness, he was one of twelve spies that Moses sent to check out the land of Canaan. When the spies returned, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who wanted to obey God and go into the land. The other ten convinced Israel that it couldn’t be done. Israel wouldn’t go, and as a result, God made them wander in the wilderness forty more years until all the rebels, age twenty and older, died. God even killed the spies who’d provoked Israel to disobey.

Eventually, the battles in Canaan were all won: “And the land rested from war.” (Joshua 11:23). The land was divided between the tribes of Israel, and most—not all—of the heathen had been dealt with. When Joshua warned Israel, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve,” he was old and near death. He had a reason for this warning. Before Moses died, God gave Moses bad news. God said, “Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a-whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land,” (Deuteronomy 31:16). Apparently Joshua heard this and knew what would eventually happen.

Joshua knew that some of the Israelites might give good lip service, but not all of them cared about serving the Lord. Many would decide to turn to idol worship, so Joshua warned them, “choose you this day whom ye will serve;” Then he added, “but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

The longer you’re on the job, the more you realize that not all cops care about good police work. If you strive to hustle, you’ll likely irritate some people. However, do good work, anyway. Also, the longer you’re a Christian, the more you’ll likely see that some Christians aren’t really gung-ho about serving Christ. Strive to serve the Lord anyway. Don’t concern yourself with pleasing people but with pleasing God. Take the attitude Joshua had: “choose you this day whom ye will serve;…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

If you’ve never seen in the Bible how to know for sure that you’ll get to heaven, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown menu.

]]>The Need for Rest and Nourishmenthttp://clevelandbaptist.org/2016/09/the-need-for-rest-and-nourishment/
Mon, 19 Sep 2016 20:14:21 +0000http://clevelandbaptist.org/?p=4658It seems that there are busy seasons of life when we give ourselves to our calling in more intense and more protracted ways than normal. No matter your calling, your life is demanding, and you are busy running from one event to the next. I don’t suppose that there is much we can do to change that. Modern conveniences don’t seem to make our lives less busy; they just provide a way to cram more. People have begun to think that unless they are busy doing something, they feel bored and unfulfilled.

Because we are busy, we are people in need of rest. We need to physically rest as well as spiritually rest. Even during the ministry of Jesus, there were times of great stress, and He spoke of the need to rest. “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat” (Mark 6:31).

I am also reminded of Elijah the prophet as he went through a very intense time of ministry when he faced Ahab and the nation of Israel on Mt. Carmel. He dealt with the false prophets of Baal, and of course, subsequent events that came one right after another. He was so exhausted that when it was all over, he wasn’t able to enjoy the victory. On the heels of this great victory, Queen Jezebel sent him a message, and he ran for his life. It was at that point that God stepped into the stress and provided him with physical rest and nutrition, and he recovered.

Although we may not be to that point of exhaustion, it is advisable that we find some time to pull back from the hectic pace of life and relax each week. The Lord understands the demands of life and ministry. He knows our need for rest, and He admonishes us to get in the yoke with Him. He promises a rest that the world can’t provide. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).I am laboring, so why not labor with the One who is able to give me rest as I labor with Him? If I look to the Lord, He is more than able to give me what I need in the realm of strength and energy.

Do you find yourself in need of rest? There is a rest for the people of God through a time of corporate worship. God designed the congregating of the body of Christ, not to take things out of us, but to put good things in us. The statement has been made about our physical bodies that “we are what we eat!” I think that is true of the spiritual body, too! These passages address the fact that God’s church is a good place where we find rest and nourishment for our souls: Psalms 1:1-3, Ps 73, Ephesians 4:11-16, Jude 1:20-21.

There is an energy, a dynamic that God gives to His people who are willing to come apart from the world and come together to worship and to hear from Him.

I trust that you will get that rest and nourishment you need for your soul this week, as you meet at your church!

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).